It Gets Better Everyday, I Promise
by chrisrocks36
Summary: Puck/Rachel! Takes place after 1x20 Theatricality Just a one-shot. Talking about Rachel's mom. Please R&R. T for swearing, no smut.


Hey everyone! So I know I am currently writing another story (and here is the part where I mercilessly pimp it 7 Years Gone – go read it! And review please! I am having a serious lack of reviews which equals serious lack of motivation: why I haven't updated in weeks) but I was watching Theatricality and I felt they needed a Puckleberry scene. I mean now they have both kind of had a parent leave, they should at least talk about it! This doesn't have a relationship, just talking. Not really friendship either. So I kind of refer to Quinn as a bitch in this, but just so you know I don't really feel that way. I kind of love Quinn. Well, when she is not being a bitch to Rachel that is. I love her and her new bff Mercedes! So adorable! Anyway, please rate and review! PLEASE!

Oh and, I hate to say this but I am currently torn between Puck/Rachel and Finn/Rachel. I mean Puck/Rachel has so much chemistry, but Finn/Rachel is so adorable! I just can't choose. So I kind of think I might start also writing a Finn/Rachel story along with my Puck/Rachel story. I know that is such a bad idea since I am such a bad updater, but I can't help how adorable F/R are! Also this will most likely be my last update of any kind until probably in two weekends. Around the 19th. I have finals ew!

Also, I saw the Glee live tour on Sunday and it was AMAZING! I just have to blab about it! Amber Riley has to be one of the most amazing singers I have ever heard. And Lea Michele was not only gorgeous, but in-freaking-credible! Mark Salling was SO HOT! And Cory Monteith and Chris Colfer were adorable! Dianna Agron is so gorgeous. Jon Groff came and he is so amazinggg! I had better stop now or I will never shut up!

By the way (again) did everyone not love the Glee version of Give Up The Funk? And Good Vibrations? I just loved those! And the boys (especially Puck) were so cute going to Rachel's defense! Stupid Mr. Schue for stopping them.

Disclaimer: Let's be real, if I had control over these characters, would I be writing a lame-ass fanfic? No, I don't think so.

Puck watches Rachel exit the Glee room, carrying her ridiculous costume in hand. He is surprised to see her face contorted as if she is on the brink of tears. They just scared away shit-faced Karofsky, the fucking _Glee _club beat that dumb shit, and she is fucking crying?

He glances around to see who is going to come to her rescue.

Her dickhead of a boyfriend isn't even there, so he assumes prince-fucking-charming is going to come to her rescue. He called Finn that in front of Quinn once and he thought she was gonna castrate him. He knows Quinn wishes she castrated him 6 months ago, then they wouldn't be in this fucking mess. It's not like Puck doesn't know Quinn is still in love with that idiot. He's seen her staring at him like he is Jesus reincarnated or some person like that. It kind of sucks, since she is carrying his baby and all, but what is he supposed to do? It's not like he is in love with Quinn. She is a bitch. All she does is yell at him about bacon and the thermostat. Then when he gets fucking fed up of it, and yells back at her, his mom goes batshit crazy on his ass about yelling at a pregnant girl and then she started sobbing about the whole situation. He used to feel kinda bad when that happened, but now it's just annoying. His mom is nuts.

But no, prince-fucking-charming isn't coming to Rachel's rescue. He is gabbing like a chick with Kurt about a privacy partition (whatever the fuck that is).

He looks at the Glee club kids whose name he doesn't know, except Mercedes, since she wrote it in permanent marker inside his locker when they were dating, since he kept calling her Miranda. Apparently black chick does not like to be called "a white girls name". Wheels and vampire just keep babbling with Mercedes, not sparing a glance at the tearful girl.

Puck isn't a complete moron, so he knows not to look at any of the cheerios or jocks. I mean, Matt talked for like the first fucking time _ever _today, it's not like he's suddenly going to start talking to Rachel of all people.

He kind of hopes Quinn might talk to her. You would think that blonde bitch would actually get some type of compassion for Rachel after the whole baby gate shit, but no, she just waddles around with her perfect fucking nose in the air as if she still is superior to Rachel. Apparently the fact that she gets slushied more than Rachel doesn't mean shit in Quinn Fabray's perfect fucking world.

So Puck knows it's up to him. He fucking _hates_ crying chicks more than he hates going to those stupid baby doctor appointments with Quinn. The idiot keeps pointing at the screen, squawking about how you can see the face, but all Puck sees is a bunch of blobs.

But he can't just let her cry. Especially since he knows it has to do with her mom. No one else here had a parent walk out, and he knows how much it sucks. He wishes just one fucking person had asked him if he was okay back then. Just one. But no one gave a shit, not that anyone does now.

So Puck falls behind Rachel, trying desperately to make it look like he just happens to be following her. Since even though trying to help a crying chick out seems like he is all compassionate, he still gives a shitload about his reputation.

She walks gets into the parking lot and walks away from everyone else. To the side of the parking lot no one parks in. Puck realizes maybe she parks there, since he vaguely remembered Karofksy bitching about how he couldn't find Rachel's car anymore to spray paint shit on. The dude should see a specialist, he is that fucking stupid. He makes Finn look like that really smart dude with the crazy hair. He expects her to walk over to her car, but instead she sits down on the grass in front of the parking lot and buries her head in the crook of her elbow. It doesn't look like she's crying. He only knows since Quinn cries like every fucking night. Half the time it's not even about legitimate stuff. Last she practically cried herself to the point of puking over the fact that Hyde and Jackie didn't end up together on That 70's Show.

Puck stands for a second on the steps that separate the two sides of the parking lot, waiting for everyone to leave. If he is gonna comfort a crying Berry, he doesn't want a fucking audience. People pull away but Rachel stays in that position. She isn't crying, Puck can tell, she's just kind of sitting there all quiet and stuff. He kind of thinks she might be one of those weird-ass vampires that doesn't move and stuff from those shitty books his sister is always babbling about, Moonlight or something. That's how not-moving she is.

Puck sighs and shuffles as slowly as he can over to Rachel, kind of hoping she will leave before he can get there. But she doesn't. She just sits there, still not moving. He stops about a foot from her and shoves his hands into his pockets and scuffs his sneaker on the grass.

"Hey," he mutters. He knows it's lame as shit, but it's not like he knows what to fucking say. Rachel jerks her head up and spins it around so fast it's like she has super speed or something.

"Noah?" she asks, startled.

"No, it's fucking Santa Clause" he grumbles, playing uncomfortable with a penny he found in his pocket. Rachel's face drops and she stares at his shoes.

"Well, if you came here to torment me, please do it quickly. I'm not in the mood for your juvenile behavior" Rachel says coolly, staring away from him. Puck sighs.

"Sorry. I didn't come to be a ass. Knee-jerk reaction" he mumbles, "I actually came over cause I hear about what happened with your mom"

He hears Rachel take a sharp intake of breath and hold it for a moment before exhaling.

"I see" she says sharply, not averting her gaze. Puck curses in his head. He was kind of hoping she would do most of the talking. I mean it is Rachel.

"Well, look I just wanted to ask if you're like…okay or whatever. Since I know it sucks when a parent leaves. It probably sucks a lot even if you didn't really know them, or whatever. I know that when my dad left I just wanted someone to like, fucking ask me if I was okay. So I kinda guessed you did too" Puck lets out a breath, looking away from Rachel. He can feel her eyes surveying his face.

"Wow, Noah. That was actually very sweet" Rachel chuckles lightly, pulling at some grass next to her.

"I'm not sweet. I'm spicy," Puck mumbles, cracking a small smile, which to his surprise she returns, "anyway…so are you okay?"

Puck doesn't miss the fact she glances at him briefly out of the corner of her eye. He doesn't blame her. He would be looking for the Punk'd camera if he were her right now.

"Well, I wouldn't really say I'm okay…maybe, striving towards being okay" she says softly, resuming picking at the grass. Puck nods.

"I get it. When I finally accepted my dad left, which wasn't until like 4 years ago, I punched out a wall in my house. My mom didn't fix it. She said it's gonna be the reminder of the hole he left. Now there is a fucking hole in my wall to remind of my deadbeat of a dad. If you wanna come over and punch out another one, I don't think my mom will give a shit. Just tell her you're Jewish" Puck tried to let out a laugh, but it comes out as more of a mangled yelp since it's not really funny. It's true. Rachel looks back at him swiftly again, and he doesn't miss that she scoots about an inch closer to him and puts her hand lightly on his knee. He should be brushing it off, but he kind of likes it there.

"I don't really feel as if I need to punch a wall," Rachel continues softly, letting her hand rest more firmly on his knee, "I'm not angry. I'm just confused." Puck scoffs.

"You're telling me. You just gotta wonder who the fuck leaves a family behind like they weren't worth anything. Or a daughter I guess, in your case" he adds quickly.

"She just kept telling me how we couldn't have a relationship since we had no bond or memories, but by disregarding our relationship isn't she ensuring that we won't ever have any?" Rachel mumbles so quietly, Puck has to strain to hear her.

"Well, you're luckier than me Rach. Seriously," Puck says softly. There is no hint of jealousy or anger in his town, but resignation.

"How so?" she says heatedly, "I dreamed of this moment for so long. Meeting my mother. My _mother. _The woman who bore me, who protected me for 9 months! Then I meet her and not only is she trying to beat down the one thing that is good in my life, New Directions, but it is awkward and uncomfortable and she doesn't even want to try and get to know me!" Rachel is yelling now with tears pouring down her cheeks. She has stood up and is glaring at Puck. But Puck knows she isn't yelling at him. He has been there, she just needs to yell and he happens to be here. So he does something that shocks even him. He stands up, and wraps his arms tightly around her. She stiffens and he feels her start to pull away, but right before she has escaped from his hold, she collapses into his chest with tears cascading down her cheeks.

"It's not fair," she cries brokenly, pounding her fists against his chest, "she is my mother! Isn't that supposed to mean something? Anything?"

Puck doesn't say anything, since he knows nothing he can say will help. He simply lets her cry, soaking through his shirt. He knows this would kill his reputation. He would be chucked back into that dumpster. But for once, something is more important than his reputation. He knows her pain and anger, he still has it bottled up inside of him, and what kind of Jew would he be if he let her suffer by herself. More than what kind of Jew, what kind of human?

"Think about it this way," he says softly after about five minutes, "if you end up in the hospital in dire need of a blood transplant and the only person in the entire fucking world who has your blood type is your mom, at least you know where to find her. Me? I don't know where the fuck my dad is. When he left that morning, the only thing we had was a sticky note he stuck to the front door that said bye. He didn't even spell it right. He wrote b-u-y. Son of a bitch" Rachel sniffles quietly and raises her head to look into his eyes.

"Really? That's it? That's your last memory of your father?" Rachel asks quietly, removing herself from his arms to look directly into his eyes.

"No, that's the last memory of my father's handwriting. My last memory of him was waking up in the middle of the night, the night before he left, to hear him drunkenly curse at my mom. I only have one good memory of him," Puck said softly, sitting back down on the grass barely even registering the fact it was beginning to rain, "when I was 6, he took me to a football game. It wasn't the NFL or anything, just his old high school. But I remember sitting next to him and not knowing what to do or how the game worked so I would just watch him and do whatever he did. When he cheered, I cheered. When he booed, I booed. He didn't notice for a while, but then he saw me and just laughed and bought me a hotdog. He spent the second half of the game explaining what the rules were and when to cheer and boo. It was the only time he ever seemed like my father. I hate football. I hate playing it. But I play because it feels like he is there with me. Not that dickhead who yelled at everyone and was always drunk. My dad"

He glances over at Rachel and sees she has tears swimming in her eyes. He can tell she is trying to hide it, probably so he won't feel obliged to comfort her again, but he can tell.

"Noah, I don't really know what to say. For the first time ever" Rachel whispers, hurriedly wiping away a few fallen tears.

"That's because there isn't anything to say. You can't fix this, and I can't fix your problem. I know it makes me sound like shit, but it's true," Puck says bitterly, chucking a pebble he picked up roughly against a tree. Rachel nods her head.

"You're right," she murmurs, tugging at the hem of her skirt.

"I've never talked to anyone about this before," Puck admits, smirking slightly at the irony of how much he is admitting to Rachel Berry, "my sister doesn't remember him and it's not like she would help anyway, she's 7. My mom used to cry every time you mentioned his name, but now she just gets really pissed off and tells me to go away. Quinn and I can barely get through a conversation about the weather without her bitchy hormones kicking in. Even when I was friends with Finn, it wasn't like I could talk to him about this. I mean his dad is _dead._ Kinda asshole-ish to complain about my dad who is alive somewhere."

"Well, glad to be of service, I suppose" Rachel smiles politely, sitting down across from Puck. She cautiously looks over his face before hesitantly laying her head down on his shoulder. He doesn't tell her to get the fuck off. Actually he smiles.

"Look, Rachel, this," he motions at their current position, "doesn't make us friends, okay? But…if you need me, to talk to, I'm here." He feels Rachel bury her head deeper against his shoulder. He is surprised that his reaction is to lay his head against hers.

"Thank you, Noah" Rachel whispers, "It's nice to know I have someone there for me. And it goes both ways you know. I am always here for you also." Puck smirks, and lifts his head, clapping her on the back.

"I might take you up on that offer someday. But for now, I have to drive Quinn home. I locked my truck so she is probably standing outside in the rain right now. Bitch" Puck grumbles. Rachel lifts her head off his shoulder and stretches.

"I should chastise you for leaving your pregnant…Quinn…out in the rain, but I can't say I don't feel the slightest bit satisfied. She used to trap in the showers with my clothes on." Rachel mutters, clearly bitter about the memory.

"Yeah, she is kind of…no she just is a bitch," Puck grumbles, "Well, good bye Rachel, I guess. You have my number…so just text me or call me if you need me." Puck turns to leave, but suddenly he feels Rachel's body collide with his and she throws her arms around his torso. This time he is the one to stiffen momentarily, but he relents and wraps his arms around her.

"You know I have no hugged you three times. I don't think I've hugged anyone else that many times except maybe my mom. Maybe" Puck chuckles. Rachel giggles against his chest.

"It's payback for the slushies" she retorts, but he can tell she is smiling.

"Fair enough," they disentangle and he looks directly into her eyes.

"It gets better everyday. I promise" he murmurs.

"I trust you" she whispers back. He walks away from her, but not without a gentle look back to her. She smiles reassuringly and walks over to her car. Puck stops and watches to make sure she gets all the way into her car. She honks once, god even her fucking horn sounds like a musical note, and she drives off. Puck just watches. He feels his phone vibrating in his pocket, and he pulls it out without looking at the caller ID.

"Already?" he chuckles, walking towards his truck.

"It's harder when you're alone," he hears her mumble into the phone.

"I'm already on my way," he assures her and hangs up.

**Fin. **

**NOW GO REVIEW!**


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